Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are given up front, then explained in a little more detail below, in the practice’s own warm, plain-English voice.
Choosing Alexandra Hills Dental
Alexandra Hills Dental is a gentle, family-friendly practice built around calm, judgement-free care for anxious patients.
The practice sees Redlands families and nervous patients alike, with multilingual dentists (Mandarin, Chinese and Korean) and a guaranteed same-day appointment for toothaches if you call before 10am. Prevention is treated as the priority, so problems are caught early rather than only fixed once they start to hurt.
Treatment is explained step by step and delivered without judgement, so nervous patients are never rushed.
Happy Gas (nitrous oxide sedation) is offered for anxious or nervous patients, and the practice has a dedicated Dental Phobia page for anyone who has been putting off a visit. The approach is the same, calm, unhurried care for every patient, whether it’s a first check-up or a more involved procedure.
Yes. Helping anxious and nervous patients feel comfortable is a core part of how the practice works.
Calm, judgement-free treatment, Happy Gas sedation and clear, jargon-free explanations are all built around making a dental visit manageable for patients who find it stressful.
Cost and Payment
A first-time check-up and clean costs $190, regardless of whether you have private health cover.
This flat rate reflects the practice’s “Access For All” approach, so new patients know the cost before they book. It includes an oral cancer screening, a check of the jawbone and lymph nodes, and a bite assessment as well as the clean itself.
Implant cost varies from patient to patient, so an exact price is only confirmed after an assessment.
Treatment involves placing a titanium screw in the jawbone, then a healing period of around 3 to 6 months while it integrates with the bone, before the general dentist fits a crown on top. Book a consultation for a quote based on your own case.
Yes. Three payment plan options are available, along with SuperCare.
SuperCare lets eligible patients use their superannuation to help pay for treatment. The team can talk you through which option suits your situation when you book.
Health Funds and Insurance
Alexandra Hills Dental is a preferred provider for CBHS, Australian Unity, HCF, Medibank and Bupa.
Being a preferred provider can help reduce out-of-pocket costs for members of these funds.
On-the-day claiming depends on your fund and policy, so it’s best to check when you book.
As a preferred provider for CBHS, Australian Unity, HCF, Medibank and Bupa, the practice is set up to help members of those funds get the most from their cover.
Eligible children aged 2 to 17 can access free dental care under the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule.
Check with the practice to confirm your child’s eligibility and book their visit.
Visiting the Practice
The practice is at Shop 2/191 Vienna Rd, Alexandra Hills QLD 4161.
It serves patients across the Redlands, including Capalaba, Cleveland, Redland Bay, Victoria Point, Thornlands, Sheldon and Wellington Point.
The practice is open Monday and Wednesday 8:30am to 6pm, Tuesday and Friday 8:30am to 5pm, Thursday 9am to 8pm, and Saturday 8:30am to 1pm. It is closed Sundays.
Yes. A same-day appointment for a toothache is guaranteed if you call before 10am on 07 3824 4488.
An allocated emergency toothache appointment is available daily, so there’s no need to wait days to be seen.
Yes. The practice has Mandarin, Chinese and Korean-speaking dentists on the team.
This means Redlands residents who prefer to be treated in-language have that option at Alexandra Hills Dental.
General Dental Care
A check-up and clean involves more than just cleaning the teeth. It includes an oral cancer screening test, a check for abnormalities in the jawbone and swelling in the lymph nodes, and a bite assessment. X-rays are taken every 2 years, unless symptoms prompt an earlier look. Teeth are then cleaned as gently as possible, with any areas of concern photographed to discuss with you, and the dentist will also go over the best way to clean your own teeth at home.
Plaque and calculus build-up can cause irreversible damage, and some issues don’t cause pain until it’s too late, so prevention matters. Think of your teeth like a boat and the calculus like barnacles: left alone, especially underneath the surface, they cause damage that regular brushing alone can miss.
Poor oral hygiene can affect overall health, including eating choices and diet, and untreated issues lead to decay and gum disease. A 6-month scale and clean, plus brushing twice a day and flossing once a day, is the recommended routine.
Plaque is a matrix of food and bacteria that forms a sticky yellow or white layer on teeth. Left unremoved by brushing or flossing, it solidifies into calculus and traps bacteria against the tooth.
Teeth naturally discolour with age, in the same way skin tone varies from person to person. Food and drink pigments are absorbed into the dentine over time.
Whitening can make teeth whiter, though how white is “white enough” differs from person to person. Tooth whitening is the first step; veneers, a thin ceramic layer over the front of the tooth, are an option for those wanting a different result.
Tooth pain can come from the teeth themselves, the gums, or be referred pain from elsewhere. A dentist visit and assessment is the way to identify the actual cause.
Sensitivity is most commonly a sign of gum disease, where the gum has shrunk away from the tooth, or of decay. These are the two most common causes.
Bleeding gums are not normal, even though it’s common for people to get used to it. It usually indicates inflamed gums and possible underlying gum disease.
Mouth rinse alone doesn’t remove food, stains and bacteria from the teeth; manual brushing is needed to clear build-up from all surfaces. Different mouth rinses serve different purposes, so it’s worth asking your dentist whether one would help your routine.
Around 2 years of age is when regular dental visits generally start. Early visits are often just about getting the child used to the experience, and bringing them along to a parent’s appointment first can help.
Usually yes, most often with a filling or a crown, though an extraction may be needed in extreme cases with very little tooth structure left. An assessment is needed to know for sure, so book an appointment as soon as possible.
A chip can come from a few causes, an incorrect bite, teeth grinding, an existing crack, or decay, and identifying the cause matters before it’s repaired. Depending on the cause, a filling or a crown may be recommended.
The tooth underneath a crown can still decay or become infected if oral hygiene isn’t kept up, and pain can follow once decay nears the nerve. Pain can also follow if a crown was fitted incorrectly and is putting strain on the remaining tooth. An x-ray will show what’s happening underneath.
Teeth move a little all the time, from chewing and everyday pressure, held in place by small ligaments. Retainers, worn 2 to 3 times a week, are the way to stop that movement. Without them, even people who never had braces can notice their teeth bunching up, known as crowding, as they age.
No. As the body loses elastin with age, in the same way skin develops wrinkles, teeth tend to rotate and shift, so alignment tends to get worse over time rather than better.
The ridges and dips on the teeth are shaped to interlock top and bottom, a bit like Lego bricks. When they don’t meet correctly, the jaw can twist to one side, causing TMJ pain and long-term jaw damage, or the teeth can grind down as the body tries to make them lock together, and orthodontic treatment is generally the fix for misalignment.
See a dentist for a full check-up and clean so the cause can be assessed. Teeth falling out without warning is usually due to advanced gum disease.
Yes. Severe gum disease can cause enough bone and support loss that a tooth ends up held in by very little tissue.
No. Baby teeth (ages roughly 1 to 12) are pushed out as adult teeth come through, and adult teeth are the only other set, sometimes missing altogether, which an x-ray can confirm. Since there’s no third set, looking after adult teeth matters.
An implant fills a gap from a missing tooth with a permanent fixture that functions like a regular tooth once healed. A titanium screw is placed in the bone, with regular visits over the following 3 to 6 months to check it’s integrating (a process called osseointegration), before the general dentist fits a crown on top. With good hygiene, an implant can last a lifetime.
A dental bridge replaces a missing tooth with a crown supported by the teeth on either side, creating a seamless, functioning result.
Dental equipment is costly in Australia, which factors into treatment prices. Looked at directly, a dental bill isn’t more expensive than a typical doctor’s visit; the difference is that Medicare doesn’t cover dentistry, while it does cover GP visits, which is what makes dental costs feel higher by comparison.